One day, I was out fishing on a lake in a little boat with my neighbour Mr. Baker. We went to one place to another but caught nothing. Then it started to rain. Mr. Baker drove the boat towards the shore(岸). We started casting(抛) the fishing line from there. I finally caught a fish. It could be less than six inches long, but at least it was a fish. Then I caught another, and another. They were too small to keep, but it was fun catching them.

The sun came out, so Mr. Baker decided to leave. I asked, “Where are we going? This is a great place!” “We don’t want to keep catching these little ones,” Mr. Baker said. “They’re not worth the time. Let’s go to catch a real fish.”

Believe it or not, my feelings were a little hurt. The fish I was catching were real fish, and that was more fun than catching nothing. And we had the same bad luck when we got to the deeper places in the lake: No fish.

But this taught me a lesson. Even though we returned home empty-handed, we went for the big fish. In the short period, this kind of thinking might not be so fun. But it’s the long period you should be thinking about the big goals(目标), the ones that need a lot of failure all the way. It’s a lesson: If you spend all your time catching the little fish, you won’t have time to catch the big ones.

Everyone needs friends. We all like to feel close to someone, It is nice to have a friend to talk, laugh, and to do things with. In fact, sometimes we need to be alone, We don’t always want people around. But we would feel lonely if we never had a friend.

Now two people are the same. Sometimes friends don't get on well. It doesn't mean that they don't like each other. Most of the time they will make up(重归于好) and become friends again.

Sometimes friends move away. Then we feel very sad. We miss them very much, but we can call them and write to them. Maybe we can see them one day. And we can make new friends. It is surprising to find out how we like new people when we get to know them.

There is more good news for people who have friends. They live longer than people who don't. Why? It could be that they are happier. Being happy helps you stay well. Or it could be just know that someone cares. If someone cares about you, you take good care of yourself.

My First Marathon

A month before my first marathon, one of my ankles was injured and this meant not running for two weeks, leaving me only two weeks to train. Yet, I was determined to go ahead.

I remember back to my seventh year in school. In my first PE class, the teacher required us to run laps and then hit a softball. I didn’t do either well. He later told me that I was “not athletic”.

The idea that I was “not athletic” stuck with me for years. When I started running at the age of 18, I realized running was a battle against myself, not about competition or whether or not I was athletic. It was all about the battle against my own body and mind. A test of wills（意志力）!

The night before my marathon, I dreamt that I couldn’t even find the finish line. I woke up sweating and nervous, but ready to prove something to myself.

Shortly after crossing the start line, my shoe laces（鞋带）became untied. So I stopped to readjust. Not the start I wanted!

At mile 3, I passed a sign: “GO FOR IT, RUNNERS!”

By mile 17, I became out of breath and the once injured ankle hurt badly. Despite the pain, I stayed the course walking a bit and then running again.

By mile 21, I was starving!

As I approached mile 23, I could see my parents waving a sign. They are my biggest fans. They never minded the alarm clock sounding at 4 a. m. or questioned my costs on running.

I was one of the final runners to finish. But I finished! And I got a medal. In fact, I got the same medal as the one that the guy who came in the first place had.

Determined to be myself, move forward, free of shame and worldly labels（ 世俗标签 ）can now call myself a “marathon winner”.